“We need to do research into effective ways to awaken others to the moral necessity of acting on behalf of others and have answers to questions”
The first step in a research of this kind is to consider the phenomena of cultural evolution of which the phenomena of moral evolution are a part.
One of the errors of the “effective altruism movement” is to forget that moral-structural changes are much more effective than the mere accumulation of means from current cultural-moral structures.
Promoting cultural changes is much more effective than promoting fundraising within the current culture.
How are cultural changes promoted?
The civilizing process shows us that the most rapid and effective cultural changes, especially from a moral point of view, are activated using religious mechanisms.
It is not that effective altruism evolves into a traditional religion, but that, by carrying out unequivocal projects of effective altruism, psychosocial mechanisms are put in place that can behaviorally change moral action with results similar to those of religious conversion… but without any of its drawbacks of irrationality, prejudice and lack of control.
In short, it is necessary to do with religion what was done in its time with astrology—which became astronomy—and with alchemy—which became chemistry -.
We need to produce materialistic, rational and efficient “communities of saints.” The raw material of “effective altruism” is socially active human moral behavior.
And an important point: to achieve this it is not necessary to “transform society”, it is enough to change a subculturally organized minority, in the style of the ancient monastic communities.
“We need to do research into effective ways to awaken others to the moral necessity of acting on behalf of others and have answers to questions”
The first step in a research of this kind is to consider the phenomena of cultural evolution of which the phenomena of moral evolution are a part. One of the errors of the “effective altruism movement” is to forget that moral-structural changes are much more effective than the mere accumulation of means from current cultural-moral structures.
Promoting cultural changes is much more effective than promoting fundraising within the current culture. How are cultural changes promoted? The civilizing process shows us that the most rapid and effective cultural changes, especially from a moral point of view, are activated using religious mechanisms. It is not that effective altruism evolves into a traditional religion, but that, by carrying out unequivocal projects of effective altruism, psychosocial mechanisms are put in place that can behaviorally change moral action with results similar to those of religious conversion… but without any of its drawbacks of irrationality, prejudice and lack of control. In short, it is necessary to do with religion what was done in its time with astrology—which became astronomy—and with alchemy—which became chemistry -. We need to produce materialistic, rational and efficient “communities of saints.” The raw material of “effective altruism” is socially active human moral behavior.
And an important point: to achieve this it is not necessary to “transform society”, it is enough to change a subculturally organized minority, in the style of the ancient monastic communities.